SC scolds DHA administration for not giving right of passage

LAHORE: A three-member Supreme Court (SC) bench led by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry on Monday scolded the Defence Housing Authority (DHA), Lahore administration for not giving passage rights through its roads and streets to residents of housing schemes located nearby, such as Punjab Cooperative Housing Society. The SC bench also sought the entire land and roads record including map of the DHA, Lahore today (Tuesday) for further proceedings.

During the case’s hearing, the CJP observed, “DHA Lahore is not any island where people of other housing societies of Lahore could be restricted from entering or passing through only because it has its own odd by-laws.” The bench also including Justice Jawad S Khawaja and Justice Khalilur Rehman Ramday is hearing important cases in the SC Lahore Registry for the last one week.

The bench is hearing a petition filed by the DHA Lahore against the Lahore High Court (LHC) judgment allowing passage rights to residents of housing schemes located nearby for using DHA roads and streets.

The DHA administration had not given permission to residents of other housing schemes to use its roads and streets despite the LHC judgment and had filed a review petition in the SC. Justice Khawaja remarked that if all housing schemes placed such restrictions and denied passage rights to residents of other housing societies then God knows what would be the country’s and people’s fate. Justice Ramday speaking to the DHA’s legal advisor said, “Why does the DHA use roads and streets of the entire cantonment area and stops people of adjacent areas to enter its roads and streets by building walls all around it?”

The legal advisor replied that DHA residents needed privacy, which was guaranteed by its by-laws owing to which walls were built around the housing society. After hearing arguments, the bench observed that the by-laws needed to be changed.

Source: Pakistan Today